Hobbies and Crafts

I had to laugh today.I saw a Rook or Crow(not sure which) on the grass verge picking up lots of leaf .It's beak was so full it could hardly see where it was going lol.
Still very few small birds in the garden on the feeders.A couple of Long T Ts and a little bird like a blue tit but it was nearly all yellow.I haven't noticed one here before.Also 1 lonely looking Moorhen,that be from next door.

Yesterday I was down the lane and right in the middle of the field just standing there was a Red Kite.It was so close to me .Camera? No lol.It was there for quite a while too.

It was a beautiful day again yesterday. Out walking with the dog in the afternoon I saw a yellowhammer in the farmland between Yatesbury and Avebury. I only saw the one though I did look out for more. Other than that there were a lot of rooks on the fields.

Jane
We haven't seen any small birds today either despite the beautiful weather.
They usually come out and feed when it's sunny.
Maybe they're all busy nestbuilding
Certainly the Magpies have almost finished building theirs.
Take care
Von

Von,funny you should mention Jackdaws and Black Headed Gulls.I saw 4 big Jackdaws in a tree down the garden and lots of Black Headed Gulls in the field opposite us.This is the first time I have seen either of those birds in a long while.
The small birds have not been on the feeders today.Maybe the good weather has something to do with it.The only visitor I saw was the Squirrel.

Hi Everyone
I had an interesting scenario in the garden after throwing out some bread today.
First came the magpies,took a piece of bread each and returned to the fence to eat it.
Then down came the pidgeons as predicted but closely followed by about eight jackdaws and several black headed gulls.
The gulls didn't land but circled around for several minutes.
The garden was full of large birds.
I was so pleased that I was safe and sound in the house!!!
Take care
Von

Our pigeons and doves have worked out how to access the sunflower seed and theya re so big and greedy (well hungry probably) that the poor greenfinches are losing out. We hae to do something about that tomorrow. Actually I noticed today that the chaffinches have moved in on the Goldfinch food.

I feel guilty !!!! I have run out of fatcakes and coconuts.I will have to stock up tomorrow.But the birds just seem so greedy at the moment .One fatcake will last just less than 2 days!!!!.Maybe they need to forage for themselves a bit now.

Jude I wish the Squirrel was a Red ,but no it is just a Grey.I think the sun made it look slightly reddish in the pic.

I love Jeans Deer.

Thanks Sandie. He's a black and white border collie. Because he was a stray they said he is a crossbreed, but he looks pretty straight border collie to us having had them before. Mind you at the rescue centre we were just looking for the dog that responded best to us really so we could have ended up with a Heinz 57.

What was sad was all the staffie types in there. I think some people get them as status symbols and dress them in all the leather studded harness etc, then can't handle them properly as they're so strong. They're perfectly lovely dogs in the right hands though.

Guinness is now spark out after an energetic footpath walk over the local fields.

Dizzie Lizze~~

That a lovely post about Guinness, what breed is he, or a cross which my last 2 rescue dogs were.
Sandie.x

Thanks Jude, the only naughtiness we've discovered so far is nicking the cats' food - but after they've left it so it seems he reckons it's fair game if they walk away leaving some. I'm trying to remember to pick it up and put it down again when they show interest again because pre dog they did usually eat most of it before the next meal.

Morning...

Dizzie he sounds lovely bless him, are'nt you lucky:o)
My sister has taken on a cat that spent all of its 18mths in a cage and run, its gradually settling down and atlast has sat on sisters lap, but will only allow you to stroke her when she has walked all round the room to get to her chair with blanket on and sometimes from there she can pick her up:o))

Have a good day

jude

Yes, Jane we got our home check when they realised that everything else was ready for us to adopt him but that. Once that was done the lady filed the report the following morning and when it had been checked we were able to adopt later in the afternoon.

We will have had Guinness for two weeks tomorrow. We can't believe how well behaved he is. At first he was really quiet, but seemed happy enough as he would play in the garden. He ignored the toys we'd got him, but found an old ball in the garden which obviously had the requisite smells on it and he loves that old thing. He also likes to chase sticks but we have to be careful with that. At first he would go and get himself a stick from under the willow - it always sheds a few that we can't reach to cut out when it's windy - and then having chased it a bit would chew it up, so day two we were straight at the vets as he started coughing a bit, and we noticed he had sore back paws. Now, thank goodness, he doesn't chew them up any more so it must have been a nerves/settling in thing. The toys we bought him have now developed enough smell for him to play with them too, so that helps.

He's walking better now, not coughing, and has begun to bark when postie arrives, but other than that is quite a calm lad. I've managed to leave him a couple of times to pop to the shops and the neighbours say they haven't heard him. We expected a few sleepless nights settling him in but not a bit of it. We put him in the office overnight so the cats could have a bit of free range to get at the cat flap without bother. He just settled straight down (we borrowed the blanket he'd had at the centre until his smell got onto our bedding for him) and when I got up in the morning he was still lying down and waited for me to call him to get up. He's been to the pub quiz with us and is quite a hit, not so much with Reggie the other dog who attends regularly but no real problems. The two dogs settle quickly under their tables, and the softie landlord has given Guinness a treat the twice he's been. Mind you his head went up the other day when someone ordered a pint of Guinness! Lol.

Someone has lost a lovely dog that they've put quite a bit of work into training. I feel sorry for them, but at least he has a happy home again now.

Jane....is your squirrel a Red one??

jude:o)

JustJean and Jane....your photo's are on my blog:o)

jude x

Hello Jane:o)

Dizzie...how exciting hows he settling??
Send a photo, l promise l'll get it on blog asap...lol :o)
jude :o)

I so pleased you now have your new addition to the family Lizzie.Is he settling in well? Did you ever get your home check?

I've seen magpies bothering a cat Sandie. Said cat was mine, she was on the fence in our old garden a few years ago and there were two magpies, one she had decided to stalk along the fence and one she had not see behind her. The one behind her harassed her and she turned round to try to chase it off, at which point the first one was now behind her and did the same. This went on for a short while until my cat jumped down chastened by her experience. OH and I watched for a bit as it was all quite amusing to see her getting the wrong end of their beaks for a change.

Today we went for a lovely walk with our new hound. While out we saw a couple of mad March hares jumping about in a field, until they got wind of us and the dog. It's been a beautiful day at last.

Hi~~~

Saw something quite interesting this morning.Well I've never seen it before.

Neighbours,who live below us have a nesting box in their tree.

Another neighbours cat who often walks tho our garden was in the tree and then climbed onto the nesting box, 2 magpies appeared and stalked the cat, who finally gave up and left the tree.

The magpies don't nest there, some of them do in next door neighbours conifers, but this box is too small for them.

Bird neighbour watch !

Sandie.x

Hello Everyone:o)

We just had A PAIR OF REED BUNTINGS and the usual chaffinch, sparrows,blackbirds (atleast 4 are male), crow, jackdaws, woodpigeons about 7, couple of doves, b and g tits and 2 cheeky rats!!!!

Dizzie...never mind next time:o)

Jane...we have'nt had l/t tits for such a long time now, such pretty birds.
Will get those phot's sorted onto blog later today, off out soon. Sorry l did'nt see them and l am so slow:o((

Ann...l think there were more males blackbirds than female!
jude